Attachment for pump pistons



March 20, 1928. 1,662,942

C. S. SNODDY ET AL ATTACHMENT FOR PUMP PISTONS Filed June 1 192"? 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Hines, h. i. fifl yorzqyle,

I ans 21w Patented Mar. 20, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLAUDE S. SNODDY, HOMER A. HiNES, AND HAMILTON ALVI MEG-ONIGLE, 01' i BARTLESVILLE, OKLAHOMA.

ATTACHMENT FOR PUMP PISTONS.

- Application fled June 14, 1927. Serial No. 198,774.

This invention relates to valved pistons such as are commonly used in umps employed in limping oil and ot er. drilled wells, and as more particular reference to I an improved attachment, for pistons of this kind, embodying means for automatically opening the piston valve when the same becomes set or stuck, due to formationof a partial vacuum below said. valve by reason of an insufficient flow or supply of oil in the well, said means beingzadapted to open the piston valve by engagement with the standingvalve of the pump upon the downstroke of the piston when the normal stroke of the ii-latteris changed andto automaticall permit closing of the piston valve upon t Y e upstroke of the piston.

' It is a common occurrence for the piston valves of oil well pumps to become set or stuck, and when such condition arises the pumping is necessarily discontinued. In some cases, even though a suificient quantity of oil eventually flows into the well to resumo pumping, the pressure of the oil in the al well is not sufficient to raise or open the piston valve, and it becomes necessary to remove the piston from the well to unseat the valve,

, an operation which is very troublesome and entails considerable expense and loss of time.

The primary objectv of the present inven tion, therefore, is to provide an improved means by which the above mentioned trouble,

expense and loss of time is obviated, and

which, by merely lengthenin the piston rod 3| of the pump or the equiva ent is brought into actlve relation to the standin valve for o ning the piston valve on the ownstroke o the piston, thereby relieving the partial vacuum below said. piston valve and permitting thepumping to beimmediately resumed when the level of oil in the well again rises.

A further object is to provide a valve.

opening device of the above kind. which may be readily applied to the conventional type of pump pistons now in general use, and which is extremely simple and durable in construction aswell as" eflicient in operation.

The invention consists in the novel form,

combinationandarrangement of parts: hereno inafter more fully described, shown in the T accompanyingd rawings and claimed.

and standing valve in elevation within a well casing, the piston being provided with a valve unseating device constructed in accordance with the present invention.

F igure 2 is a View somewhat similar to Figure 1 with the piston in section and lowered so that the piston valve is held unseated by the unseating device, the latter being engaged with the standing valve cage.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the lower end of the piston and adacent parts of the valve unseating device shown in FigureSZ, the parts being in the normal position of Figure 1 when disengaged from the standing valve.

Figure 4 is an enlarged section on line 4-4 of Figure 1. V

Figure '5 is an enlarged section on line 5-5 of Figure 1, and

Figure 6 is an enlarged perspective view ogdthe tubular guide for the valve unseating r Reterring; more in detail to the drawings, 5' indicates the well or pump casing having the usual. standing valve including a cage 6 and a movable valve member 7 therein. Reciprocable in the well casing 5 above the standing valve is the usual piston includin a tubular body 8 on the upper end of whic is secured the cage 9 of the movable piston valve member or ball 10' which seats by gravity upon the seat 11, the cage 9 having the usual. stem 12' for connection with the pump rod 13. The piston body 8 has the usual reduced lower end portion upon which are mounted the ordinary packingcups 14 and spacers 15,. and. the lower end of the said piston body is externally threaded to ordinarily receive nuts to secure the packing cups and spacers in place. 1 I

In accordance with the present'invention a tubular casing 16 is threaded onto the lower end. of the piston body 8, and this casing 16' is formed intermediate its ends with an. internal annular flange 17 in which is slidabl-y fitted a tubular guide member 18 which, in turn, is fitted on the lower end portion of a valve unseating or lifting rod 19 that has athreadcd lower end or terminal 20 ing the guide member 18 withinthe casing 16 and between the flange 1? and the upper end of the nut member 22 is a helical compression spring 24 which normally lowers the rod 19 so that its upper end is below the seat 11 of V the piston valve 10, downward movement of permit free passage of the oil, and such oil is allowedto enter the piston body 8 by providlng the casing 16 with a circular series of the latter.

the rod 19 being limited by means of a head 25 on the upper end of the guide member 18 adapted to seat upon the flange 17 before the reduced upper end o'fthe nut member 22 can move out of the lower end of casing 16. The casing-16is of lesser diameter than the well casing and entirely spaced from the latter to horizontally alined and uniformly spaced openings 26 at a point above the flange 17 and below the internal threads in the upper end of said casing 16.;

In assembling the devicefthe guide member 18 is placed in the casing 16 and the spring 24 is then placed on the member 18 and within the casing 16 below the shoulder 17 The head 25 is formed with a screw driver keri 27, and by means thereof the member 18 is then threaded into the nut member 22 which is placed at the lower end of spring 24. The rod19 is then inserted in the member 18 andthreaded into the nut member 22, whereupon, the rod 19 is inserted 1 in thelower end of the piston body 8 and casing 16 is threaded onto thelower end of In operation, the piston is set in the well casing so that a space is left between the nut member 22 and the top of the standing valve limit of its normal stroke. Under this conditionthe piston is worked until its valve 10 becomes set or stuck. Whenthis occurs, the piston is suitably lowered beyond the limit of its normal downstroke until the nut member 22 engages the top of the standing valve-cage 6 and the spring 2 1 is compressed sufficiently to permit the rod 19 to move upwardly and raise or unseat the valve 10, thereby breaking the partial vacuum, beneath the latter and insuring opening of the same when the level of the oil in the well again rises. As soon as the piston is again raised the spring will return the rod- 19 and associated partstonormal position sothat the piston valve will function properly when the pumping is resumed.

It will thus be seen that the presentdevice will obviate the necessity of removing the encircling the guide member between said piston from the well, and that the same may or, be readily applied to pistons now in use. It will be further seen that the construction is exceedingly compact, simple and durable and provides efiicient guiding and supporting means for the valve unseating 7o rod.

y I Minor changes maybe made without departing from the spirit and invention as claimed.

What we claim as new is: 21.111 a .well pump, the combination with a valved piston, of a rod located in the piston below its valve andprojecting belowthe piston, an apertured casing attachedtothe lower end of the piston through which said rod slidably projects, said rod being guided in said casing and being adapted to be thrust: upward to open the p1ston valve whenthe normal stroke of the piston isichanged, a tubular guide member slidabl fittedtin the scope of the casing'and on the lower end 0 said rod, and

a nut member secured on the lower ends of? said guide member and said rod. 1 a g 2. In a well pump, the combination with a valvedpiston, of a rodiloeated in thepiston below itsvalve and projecting, below the piston, an apertured casing attached 7 to the: f

lower end of the piston through'which said rod slidably projects, said rod being guided in said casing and being adapted to be thrust upward to open the p stonxvalve when the normal stroke ofthe: piston isY-changed, a"

tubular guide memberislidably fitted inthe casing and onthelower end ofsaid rod, a nut member securedon the lower ends of said guide member and said rod, an internal annular flange on the casing, and a head; on the upper end of said guide member adapted to seat on said'flange to limit the downward movement of said rod.

3. In a well pump, the combination with a valved piston, of a rod located in the pie,

tonbelow its valve and projecting below the cage when the piston is atthe downward piston, an a ertured casing attached to the lower end 0 the piston through which said rod slidably projects, said rod being guided nut member secured on thelowerendsof, said guide member and said rod, an internal annular flange on the casing, and a spring flange and the nut member ,for normally lowering. the rod below the seat of the pistolrvalve. 1 i a 4. In a well pump,the combination with a valved piston, of a rod located in the piston below its valve andprojecting below the piston, an aperturedcasing attached to the; lower end of the piston through whichsaid rod slidably projects, said rod being guided upper end of said nut member slidably fitin said casing and being adapted to be ting in the lower end of said casing. 10 thrust upward to open the piston valve In testimony whereof We afiix our signawhen the normal stroke of the piston is wrest changed, a tubular guide member slidably fitted in the casing and on the lower end of CLAUDE O DY- said rod, a nut member secured on the lower HOMER A. HINES.

ends of said guide member and said rod, the HAMILTON ALVI MEGONIGLE. 

